I was born in Nebraska, which is part of the Great Plains of the United States. I’m pretty sure that the Great Plains are the reason people thought the world was flat because trust me, that is all you see. It’s part of what makes it such good farm and ranch country.
But when I was young we had family that lived in Colorado and New Mexico so almost every year we would take a trip and for me one of the most exciting part was seeing the mountains start to rise out in the west. I truly understood the words “Purple Mountain Majesties” as we would see the mountains in the distant the purple tint as we approached Pikes Peak.
My Grandfather lived in a canyon north of Santa Fe near Española, New Mexico which was surrounded by some beautiful mountains that form the bottom part of the Rockies. While Grandpa lived in an arid area near a river, when we went up into the mountains for a picnic, we were is some beautiful paradise area with tall trees, cold creeks, and the joys of nature.
To this day, I still like to go to the Albuquerque / Santa Fe area of New Mexico and walk or drive into the mountains. Here are some pictures I have taken over the years.